-Ever get the impression that Washington needs Howie Mandel to solve the debt ceiling crisis? He could sit between the warring factions with his button and keep saying, "Deal or No Deal." God knows, someone has to push a solution!

-Want to get rid of the debt? Just tax corporations at the same rate that they were taxed under President Kennedy in 1961. We would collect an additional $716 billion for our treasury and almost eliminate our entire debt!

-Towleroad.com has a story about two lesbians who were real heroines in the awful Norway shooting. At great risk, Toril Hansen and Hege Dalen (photograph), saved dozens of youngsters in the water while coming under fire from the shooter. My hat is off to these brave women.

-Speaking of hero's, David Boies and Ted Olson the lead attorneys on the Proposition 8 Court Case will receive the highest possible honor from the American Bar Association on August 8th. They will be presented with the American Bar Association Medal for "exceptional and distinguished service to the law." No one deserves it more than these two principled and courageous lawyers.

-Governor Andrew Cuomo, who can be largely credited with bringing marriage equality to New York, has the highest approval rating of any governor in the country according to Nate Silver. The lowest is anti-LGBT Governor Rick Scott in Florida. Hmmmmmm...

-Now this is sure to get your attention! Japanese researchers have been attempting to do serious investigation to the horrible tsunami that hit Japan on March 11. The highest wave to hit the coastline was an astounding 132.5 feet that hit Miyako . The Statue of Liberty is 151 feet high. Imagine a wave coming into New York harbor that big!

-Just wonder why the Norwegian terrorist is not known as a "Christian Terrorist" since we call people of the Islamic faith "Islamic Terrorists"?

-My nephew Michael Oates Palmer is running for a seat on the Writer's Guild West Board of Directors.Michael is an extraordinary young man. As a writer, I can't think of anyone better to fight for our rights with honesty and dignity. Be sure to vote for him in the upcoming Writer's Guild election.

-The Party of the Rich? In the latest Washington Post/ ABC News Poll, 67% of Americans believe Republicans look out for big business and their economic interests instead of the average American.

-Deadline Hollywood is reporting that ABC-TV will start using Katie Couric as a guest host on "The View" as they develop her new talk show.

-The Marines are rejecting their own investigation of the treatment of Private Bradley Manning! Politico.com reports that the original report found Manning’s jailers violated Navy policy by keeping him on suicide watch after psychiatrists concluded he was not a threat to himself, but the commander rejected that conclusion, according to the documents

A special investigation determined that Manning’s jailers violated Navy policy by keeping him on suicide watch after psychiatrists concluded he was not a threat to himself, but the commander rejected that conclusion, according to the documents.

-Polling shows that former US Senator Rick Santorum is placing third in his home state of Pennsylvania! He trails Bachmann (24%) and Romney (17%) with just 14% of the voters who know him best.

-Marriage equality appears to be solid in New Hampshire. Public Policy Polling found that 51% of the voters support freedom to marry and only 38% are against it. That is a margin of 13 points!

-The same poll found that in 2016 if neither Secretary Clinton or Vice-President Biden runs for President, the number one choice for New Hampshire voters right now is Andrew Cuomo who has 30% to his closest rival former Senator Russ Feingold at 13%.

-God, please not again! Ben Smith reports that former Secretary of Defense and architect of wars, Donald Rumsfeld, is advising Governor Rick Perry as he prepares to possibly run for President. Is this Ground Hog Day?

-These kind of facts make you sick to your stomach: Salon.com reports that 29 public corporations have more cash on hand than the United States Treasury and they are not using it to create jobs. Surprise. Surprise.

-Think real carefully on this question: Guess which state has the highest rate of Internet porn? Nope not California or New York because it is Utah sitting at the top of the list.

-In the latest CNN national poll with most of the possible candidates included for the Republican nomination for President, they found Romney at 16%, Perry at 14% and surprisingly, Giuliani at 13% tied with Palin.

-Another interesting statistic from the same poll had 22% of Democrats wanting another nominee besides President Obama.

-Back home we used to say about person like Congressman David Wu, "He ain't right." Now being charged with sexual harassment after key staff members leaving his office, he has agreed not to seek re-election but refuses to step down.

-The cast of Hair is doing an event for Broadway Impact at Joe's Pub on August 7th. Get your tickets here. Broadway Impact does such incredible work and we need to support them!

-President Obama has nominated his fourth member of the LGBT community for a position on the Federal Courts. Michael Walter Fitzgerald has been nominated to the US District Court for the Central Division of California.